Consider joining a grassroots project team in one of the host communities now located all over the world.  This is a really rich vacation! However hard you may work, the rewards are incalculable and the good you will do ripples out.  And new friends could last forever.

Help: Boost community spirit
Help: Encourage self-reliance
Help: Provide essential services

Remove: yourself from mainstream tourism
Plunge: deep into the heart of a community
Learn: about farming, child care, teaching, archaeology, and on…

Play: a vital role in cultural appreciation
Play: a role in world peace
Pay: token fees

How?
1. Greenforce offers 10-week intensive wildlife programs aimed at protecting biodiversity.  Base camps.  Monkeys in trees.  Animal mapping and often in pristine environments.  Ecuador, Nepal, Tanzania, Bahamas, Borneo and Fiji.  Call 800-710-6065 or www.greenforce.org

2. Global Citizens sends teams to partner with local grassroots organizations in a world-wide network of one-to-three-week immersions at U.S. and foreign sites.  Work on libraries, help with business skills, build a clinic, plant trees… No special skills required, just a desire to help others. Call 800-644-9292 or www.globalcitizens.org

3. Volunteer for Peace is a huge program of international service for two and three-week programs in over 100 countries.  Founded 1920, VFP aims to provide essential community services all over the planet — actively and personally. Vietnam and post-Katrina New Orleans are currently highlighted. Call 802-259-2759 or click on www.vfp.org.